A. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a mobile networked gaming system having one or more games available to the user.
B. Description of Related Art
Several categories of networked gaming systems are well known in the prior art. A networked gaming system may be a web-based java application operable on a computer, for example, Yahoo! Games. Further, a networked gaming system may be in the form of a downloadable software application that has a unique graphical user interface (GUI) and may connect to the network via a backend of the software, for example, the PartyPoker.com client application. Even further, a networked gaming system may be in the form of a networked video game console wherein several players playing a game are connected to a network through their video came consoles (e.g. Xbox). Other categories of networked gaming systems are apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art.
Furthermore, a networked gaming system may be operable on a mobile phone or other wireless device. Wireless technology has evolved greatly over the past decade allowing users to download and play games on their mobile devices. Games may be downloaded to the wireless device through a wireless network. Games may also be pre-installed on the wireless device when the user purchases the wireless device. Generally, a connection to the wireless network is not required for a user to play a downloaded game because the game may be a single-player game. According to at least one research agency, the market for downloadable mobile games will grow six-fold over the five-year period 2005 to 2010. It is expected that the number of consumers using downloadable games will grow from 32 million in 2005 to 220 million in 2009.
As wireless technology advances, more games will utilize the wireless network so that multiple users connected to a wireless network may play games against one another. These types of games are generally called “multi-player” games.
Furthermore, in recent years online gaming has reached record highs, due in part to the increase in gaming options such as poker, online casino games, and online (sports) betting. Some forecasters believe that with the widespread penetration of mobile phones, poker/casino/betting trend will carry over from the PC to the wireless device.
It comes as no surprise that many companies that operate networked gaming systems on computers or elsewhere are moving forward with implementing a mobile phone version of their applications. Some of the considerations during this transition to wireless devices may include: building a profitable mobile gaming customer base, educating the consumer on mobile gaming opportunities, adjusting the game play to make the best use of the mobile format (small screens). Other considerations may include installing an accessible and time-effective customer registration process suitable for the keyboard restraints of the mobile device, creating a good user experience on the mobile device, implementing effective billing models and registration processes, encrypting transactions to ensure secure billing, or ensuring that any age verification processes are in place. Another important consideration may be to design games to suit the limitations of mobile phone technology. Besides having a relatively small screen and limited keyboard capabilities, mobile phones also have limited battery life, memory, and processing capabilities.
Some networked gaming system operators have implemented “scaled-down” mobile phone versions of their networked gaming systems. These “scaled-down” mobile phone versions generally do not offer the same gaming choices to the user as a standard PC-based networked gaming system because of the limitations of the mobile technology, including the small screen, limited keyboard, limited battery life, limited memory, and limited processing capabilities. For example, one operator offers only casino games (slots, blackjack, roulette, instant-win scratch card, etc.) on their mobile platform, but the same operator offers poker (Hold'em, 7-card stud, Omaha, etc.) in addition to casino games on their standard PC-based platform. Other operators have a casino, a poker room, and also a sports betting console on their standard PC-based platform, but offers only a sports betting console on their mobile platform. In most cases, operators do not have a poker client available on their mobile platform because it is simply too difficult to create a mobile poker client that would give the user an enjoyable experience. Even if an operator has a mobile poker client, generally this mobile client offers only a single-player poker game where the user plays against an imaginary computer-controlled player.
Because of the technical barriers, only a few networked gaming system operators have launched mobile multi-player poker clients. One of the most advanced multi-player mobile poker operators only offers “limit” poker, meaning that during each betting round a player may either “fold,” “call,” “bet” a pre-defined amount, or “raise” a pre-defined amount. (Limit poker, unlike no-limit poker, does not allow a user to bet/raise to any amount but limits the player to bet/raise a pre-defined amount). As mobile phones become more advanced and the users become more sophisticated, an operator that offers only one game type (i.e. “limit poker”) will not endure in the marketplace.
As more game types are added to a given mobile gaming system, the user may have to navigate through multiple menus to access a game that the user intends to play. Because of the limited memory and processing capabilities of mobile phones, the mobile phone may “freeze” or time-out as the user navigates through the one or more menus as the user tries to access a game. This “freezing” problem is one of the problems with current mobile networked gaming systems. There are simply too many menus that a user must navigate to access a game, causing the mobile phone or other wireless device to freeze or timeout.
As multiple game types are added to mobile networked gaming systems, the number of games available from single operator may be very large. For example, for the game of poker there may be multiple game types (Limit Hold'em, No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Hold'em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud, Razz), multiple game styles (cash game, tournament, sit-and-go, freeroll), and multiple game stakes (“$0.05/$0.10 Limit” through “No-Limit”). Thus, there may be many variations of poker available to the user of the mobile networked gaming system.
Navigating a PC-based poker client is already very challenging for some novice users, so the added complexity of trying to navigate a myriad of choices on a mobile phone would undoubtedly turn a novice user away from the mobile gaming system. Furthermore, because of the limited memory and processing capacity of mobile phones, navigating through multiple menus to find a game may cause the mobile phone to “freeze” or time-out.
Moreover, once a user has located a game that the user would like to play (either on a PC or mobile device), and has further located the desired variation of that specific game, the user may not be able to play the game because all available player positions or tables are full for that specific variation of the game. This may be a common concern for users who like to play popular games because any available position/seat is filled almost instantly after it becomes vacant. This is a major concern for networked gaming system operators and mobile networked gaming system operators because users may become frustrated and decide not to play on that particular networked gaming system in the future. A partial solution to the seating problem is allowing users to join a “waiting list” for that specific game. Having a “waiting list” is helpful, but a waiting list is not fully effective because of its inherent deterrent effects. Some users may not want to join a waiting list because they are either impatient, are very selective about the game table they play at, or otherwise. Further, when users are waiting, they are not playing. This may cause a decrease in revenue for the networked gaming system operator or possibly a reduction in the revenue that the networked gaming system operator may earn through advertising.
Attempts have been made to alleviate some of the problems users face when trying to connect to a specific game of a networked gaming system or mobile networked gaming system. A particular PC-based poker client, not a mobile client, has a feature called “QuickSeat” that lets players bypass the lobby and choose which limit, game type, and stakes they would like to play. But, the QuickSeat feature may not fully solve the problems associated with mobile networked gaming systems having a plurality of games available to the user. First, the QuickSeat feature has only three fields by which the user may narrow the game selection process. Second, the QuickSeat feature does not automatically “buy-in” to the table (i.e. take money out of the user's account and sit at the table with that money). Once a table has been found that meets the three search criteria, the user must manually select how much money he would like to take to that table. Third, the QuickSeat feature cannot save a user's preferences and automatically seat a player at a table that meets various user-defined criteria. A player using the QuickSeat feature must re-enter his search criteria each time the user logs in to the networked gaming system.